When Vijay Bhanushali picked up his wife’s call, he had no clue that it would throw his life out of gear. On the other end was his frantic wife, crying and stammering, unable to express herself.
What happened he asked her, repeatedly, and then his daughter took the phone from the mother and said, “Mithil bhaiya fell from the second-floor, we’re taking him to the hospital, please come fast papa.”
Vijay’s hands started trembling, and he hurriedly left to the hospital in a daze. When he reached the Hiranandani hospital at Mumbai, he saw his 6-year-old son was severely injured and his head was bleeding profusely. “It was the most horrifying sight I have ever seen,” Vijay recounts, as he breaks down.
Doctors at the hospital ran quick MRI scans and told him that unless Mithil was taken in for immediate brain surgery, the family could lose him. “We had very little time to save Mithil, and an urgent surgery was the only option,” Vijay says.
The surgery saved Mithil’s life, but it left him paralysed. “Throughout the operation, we were praying to God that our son comes out alive. He was fortunately out of danger, but the left side of his body was completely paralyzed as his brain was damaged in the fall,” Vijay explains. Vijay cannot be happier about his son’s life being saved, but the paralysis has left the family in a difficult position.
“Our son used to be the most talkative, now he is unable to speak. All that we read from his face is that he’s scared of being in the hospital. All his physical actions are only possible from the right side of his body. There have been days when we’ve seen tears drop from his eyes as he sleeps on the hospital bed. He’s undergoing tests and physiotherapy to recover and has a long way to go,” Mithil’s father says, adding that their biggest challenge is money.
“It scares me. If I don’t pay on time, his treatment shouldn't get terminated. I need Rs. 10 lakh for his treatment. My family is worried as to how will we accumulate such a mammoth amount in a short period of time,” a worried Vijay says, “We are devastated for two reasons, our son’s sudden accident and our inability to pay for his treatment.”
Vijay works as a clothing salesman and earns just Rs. 10,000 per month. “I fend for a family of 5 members and am worried about their well-being as we have no money left to manage our basic expenses,” he says, “I did everything in my capacity to pay for my son’s hospital bills by giving off the little saving that I had made.”
Doctors have told the family that he will take about 6 months more to recover from this accident, provided he gets regular physiotherapy sessions. But these sessions cost money, and the family is unable to afford it.
“Our son has been going through drastic changes. He first had to experience the pain of falling from the balcony, then he had to undergo an operation, now he’s partially paralyzed. We request everyone to please support our son with the help of your generous donation. Only you have the power to change his fate,” Vijay pleads.
This campaign is being run in association with Ketto.